


Timeless Love

by FarFromTheShallowNow



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Slow Dancing, Still Tragic, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:34:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23917648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FarFromTheShallowNow/pseuds/FarFromTheShallowNow
Summary: Steve travels back in time to get his dance. This is a fix-it of sorts but not exactly.
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Kudos: 8





	Timeless Love

Steve glanced around self-consciously and adjusted his jacket before pushing the door open to the Stork Club. Of course Peggy would pick somewhere so formal. She deserved it. 

A mellow jazz tune carried in the air as he ran a hand through his hair nervously. His dress uniform was stiffer than the one he wore on regular duty and it occurs to him that this is his first time wearing the outfit, considering he hadn’t survived to see the parts of the war that involved any celebrating. 

His breath caught in his chest when he spotted her. She stunned him every time. 

Doing his best to blend into the crowd, Steve made his way to the bar, focusing on the only person not celebrating America’s victory. A black dress replaced her typical confident red and her eye makeup was smudged ever so slightly as she leaned against the counter and absentmindedly stirred her drink. 

Wiping his palms on the fabric on his pants, Steve leaned against the counter a few steps away and smiled nervously at the first woman to truly take his breath away. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. "I'm not late, am I?" he asked with a guilty smile, knowing it was well past 8.

"St-Steve! You're gone." She exclaimed quietly with disbelief, unable to come up with words that seemed right. A thousand questions came to Peggy's mind, but somehow nothing came out. He died and she heard it happen. Being there for their date? Not exactly possible. 

The glimmer of hope in her eyes nearly brought him to his knees, but he was there with a purpose, for a moment he had dreamed of for years.

"I am gone," he confirmed, glancing down at his watch and extending his hand, "but I couldn't miss our dance." He didn't have much time. 

The music to the last song of the night swirled around them as they stepped onto the dance floor. His hands hovered unsurely before she took a step closer and gently set one in the small of her back. When she clasped the other in her own, he was surprised that her hands were so small and dainty. 

"Just step and I'll follow" she reassured him. The only response she received was a lopsided smile, badly trying to cover his embarrassment.

The first dozen steps were small and awkward. Each time he stepped on her toes was followed with an immediate apology, but Peggy couldn't care any less about the black smudges on her favorite red heels. Their halting movements never felt anything less than perfect, despite how they might have looked to others. As the song went on their movements became more fluid. Everything else in the room blurred out of focus as they looked into each other's eyes. Slowly they kissed; gently, passionately, respectfully, and in every way they deserved. 

It was better than the many times Steve had imagined their dance over the years. No words were uttered that could possibly ruin the magic veil that protected them from reality. This would be the happiest moment of their lives. 

As the last notes trailed off, they lingered leaning against each other, longing for one more beat. It physically pained them both to pull away. Steve squeezed her hand and they made their way to an empty hall marked ‘Staff Only’. They were American heroes, the club could stand to accommodate their desire for privacy for just a moment. 

"I love you" Peggy declared as soon as the door settled shut behind them. It was a fact they both knew, but couldn't bring themselves to say before. Now she regretted not saying it sooner. "I love you too," he replied evenly. It felt good to finally get it out. She didn’t know it yet, but far in the future Steve would tell this to her delirious, aged mind, many times. This time though, it was different. Better. 

The two were supposed to be fearless, one of the few respected women in military leadership and the super soldier. But love was something neither of them was prepared for. Especially theirs that couldn't be.

"I can't stay" he whispered, encasing her hands in his and pressing them against his chest "but I couldn't leave my best girl. She deserved a dance." His strong heartbeat against her palms made her ache. Knowing she would be alone soon was unbearable. 

She looked up at him and spoke with confidence, despite the tears threatening to spill out onto her cheeks. "Live your life Captain. That's an order." 

His smiling figure slowly faded away and she was left alone in the silent hall. Slowly she sunk against the wall and crumbled. "Goodbye, Steve" she choked out to the empty place he occupied a moment earlier, thankful for the closure.

* * *

Steve sat up from the table with a gasp. The young woman standing behind him collapsed from exhaustion, sweat dripping down her forehead and into her eyes. Enhanced reflexes sprang into action and he caught her head just before it hit the ground. As lowered her to the floor gently, his guilt flared for putting her through such a taxing process for a personal errand. 

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. 

"I'm fine," a small voice replied "and before you say it, don't apologize. I have no regrets."

"Thank you, Kitty."

Although she had insisted, he still felt bad. It took a lot of her energy to go back without a body to take. Technically it wasn't supposed to be possible, but she said the power of love could do anything. 

Apparently, she was right.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a tumblr request back in 2013. If you haven’t seen DOFP then the end might not make sense. My quarantine activity has been reviewing things I wrote and I think this one is worth sharing. To be honest, I wrote this fic in 7 years ago and I don’t really remember how time travel happens in the x-men universe, but I’m going to let this stand instead of changing it to go in line with Endgame. The tragic energy in this would just be wasted if I did that.


End file.
